ERIC Number: EJ819090
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Dec
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-2445
EISSN: N/A
Marriage following Adolescent Parenthood: Relationship to Adult Well-Being
Gillmore, Mary Rogers; Lee, Jungeun; Morrison, Diane M.; Lindhorst, Taryn
Journal of Marriage and Family, v70 n5 p1136-1144 Dec 2008
Research suggests that adult marriages confer benefits. Does marriage following a teenage birth confer benefits similar to those observed for adults? Longitudinal data from a community sample of 235 young women who gave birth as unmarried adolescents were used to examine this question. Controlling for socioeconomic status and preexisting "benefits," we found that marriage conferred small, though statistically significant, benefits with regard to less economic adversity and less marijuana and polydrug use but no observable benefits with regard to alcohol or other drug use, poverty, psychological well-being, or high school completion, in contrast to prior findings. We conclude that in addition to the marriage benefits observed, stable intimate relationships, whether marital or not, appear to confer psychological benefits in this sample.
Descriptors: Drug Use, Intimacy, Marriage, Adolescents, Adults, Well Being, Early Parenthood, Longitudinal Studies, Females, Socioeconomic Status, Statistical Analysis, Marijuana, Drinking, Poverty, Mental Health, High Schools, Graduation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A